What Can I Trust? Identifying Trustworthy Information. Health 205- September 2014 Michele Chittenden Queen s University Library

Transcription

1 What Can I Trust? Identifying Trustworthy Information Health 205- September 2014 Michele Chittenden Queen s University Library

2 Learning Outcomes In today s class you will learn how to: Critically evaluate information, in particular health information, found on the Internet. Distinguish among a primary, secondary and tertiary source. Differentiate between scholarly and popular resources. Identify a citation. Use the Queen s Library resources to write your papers/essays.

3 Where do you like to study/write your papers? 1. Stauffer Library 2. Bracken/Health Sciences Library 3. Douglas/Engineering Science Library 4. SKHS building 5. Home 6. Coffee shop 7. None of the above

4 Where do you go first when researching your essay or assignment? 1. Your prof or TA 2. Your textbook 3. The Library s resources (catalogue, journal articles) 4. The Internet 5. Friends

5 Finding Information Where do most people go first? The Internet: Google, Wikipedia Wikipedia ranks among first ten results in top search engines for health-related inquiries.

6 Archives Documents Speeches Images E-Books Primary Sources Videos Audio Dictionaries Books Multimedia Encyclopedias Org/NGOs Free Library Subscriptions / databases Journal Articles Resources Group Websites Associations Google Scholar People Newspapers Magazines Popular Press Personal Websites Government Documents Reports Census Statistics

7 Using the Internet What is the Internet good for? What is harder to find on the Internet? Current events Scholarly topics Finding lots of information Uncommon topics Popular culture Older news Quick facts In depth analysis of a topic Company and product info Unbiased analysis Self-published writing Indexes to search for articles by subject

8 How Good Are Your Sources? Not everything on the Internet is as it seems. Sometimes this is obvious Sometimes this is not as obvious There are an infinite number of websites that may support your research in the area of Health Promotion. But how good are your sources?

9 Finding Quality Websites The Library's Subject Guides contain lists of recommended websites in a particular subject. For example, the Kinesiology and Health Studies guide, contains a list of useful websites. Another good practice is to look for the HONCode Certificate symbol. The Health on the Net Foundation grants this certificate to health sites who comply with ethical and trustworthy practices. provides option to search for HONCode sites.

10 Evaluating Sources Evaluating your sources is a crucial step in the research process. You need to evaluate each source to determine its appropriateness and quality. Anyone can create a webpage so it is particularly important to analyze and assess information that you find on the Internet before using it in a research paper. Critically evaluating the information you find is central to successful academic research.

11 What Should You Look For When Evaluating the Quality of Health Information on the Web? There are a number of approaches for evaluating healthrelated information on the Internet. Web evaluation criteria: Authority: The source of the information. Purpose: The possible bias present in the information. Accuracy: The reliability of the information. Relevance: The depth and importance of the information. Currency: The timeliness of the information. Organization/design: The effectiveness of the delivery of information. Interactivity: The provision of contact and feedback options. Disclosure: Informs users how data will be collected and used.

12 Evaluating Information on the Web Authority Who wrote or published the information? What are the credentials of the author? Is the author affiliated with an academic institution? Or is the author backed by a known organization? What else has the author written? Content Accuracy or verifiability of details is important. How is the information documented? Facts and statistics should have references. Can the information be verified by another source? How was the data gathered? Look for a description of the process of selecting or approving information on the site under editorial policy or selection policy. Can you determine if the material is: Aimed at a particular audience? Consumer, health professional, researcher? Cited or linked to other sources? Do links go to high-quality sites?

13 Evaluating Information on the Web Disclosure Objectivity Look for links that say About Us, About This Site, or Contact Us. Is the organization recognized in your field of study? Advertisements should be labeled. Is it clear that the content is coming from a noncommercial source? Users should be informed of any collection, use or dissemination of information associated with using the site. Can you determine: Who is responsible for publishing the information? Who has sponsored or funded the information? If the author has a vested interest or bias? Organization/Design Is the order of the material clear and easy to find? Is there a good index/table of contents? Are the links to other pages working? Especially critical to the quality of a site are its external links that will lead readers to other authoritative sources.

14 Evaluating Information on the Web Currency/Timeliness Is this a rapidly changing subject area? Does the page have a last updated date? Interactivity Interactivity does not affect the quality of the web content, however it is important to provide contact information and feedback options on the site. A good website should include a feedback mechanism for users to offer comments or raise questions.

15 Health Canada Interactivity Design Disclosure

16 Health Canada Contact Us Terms and Conditions

17 Identifying Trustworthy Information on the Web The web address can provide additional information about the nature of the site and the sponsor s intent..ca usually indicates a Canadian not-for-profit, government department (.gc.ca,.ontario.ca) or university/college (queensu.ca, stlawrencecollege.ca).com indicates a commercial organization.edu indicates an American university.gov indicates a U.S. government agency or department.org usually indicates a U.S. not-for-profit, such as for the American Cancer Society.int indicates an international organization

18 Activity: Evaluating Websites Would you include information from these websites in your research paper? Internet Mental Health Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Please evaluate the following websites based on the criteria we just discussed:

19 Wikipedia Should you trust a reference source that can be edited by anyone? Maybe Wikipedia: A Key Tool for Global Public Health Promotion* Use Wikipedia to: Provide an overview of a topic; Better understand a topic; Become familiar with the terminology or key words; and Help you find sources.

20 Evaluation Criteria Resources Evaluating Health Websites Evaluating Internet Health Information (National Library of Medicine) Evaluating Web Sources (Queen s University) Medline Plus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing Policy Paper: Assessing the quality of health information on the internet

21 Are you able to distinguish a primary resource from a secondary resource? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure

22 Types of Information Sources: Primary Primary sources are original materials/information on which other research is based and are published by the individual(s) who actually conduct the research or observe the events in question. Examples include: journal articles of original research, autobiographies, minutes, letters, reports, theses, patents. Resistance to health promotion: A preliminary comparative investigation of British and Australian students, Crossley, Michele L. Health Education (2002):

23 Types of Information Sources: Secondary Secondary sources are written or compiled by people who are not directly involved in the primary research or events. Secondary sources analyze, evaluate, interpret, or summarize information reported by researchers in primary literature and often include a bibliography of primary sources. Examples include: journal review articles, literature or systematic reviews, biographies, textbooks. Health : The Basics, edited by Rebecca J. Donatelle, 4th Canadian ed., Toronto: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2008.

24 Types of Information Sources: Tertiary Tertiary sources make use of both primary and secondary sources and synthesize the information. Tertiary sources provide what are considered to be known facts. Examples include almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks. Encyclopedia of aging and public health. New York: Springer. 2008

25 Is the following resource a primary, secondary or tertiary source? Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion 1. Primary 2. Secondary 3. Tertiary

26 Is the following resource a primary, secondary or tertiary source? Textbook of International Health. New York: Oxford University Press, Primary 2. Secondary 3. Tertiary

27 Is the following resource a primary, secondary or tertiary source? Proceedings of the XVIIth World Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education. Paris, France, July 15-20, Primary 2. Secondary 3. Tertiary

28 For More Information The University of Minnesota has a good resource on types of information sources in the health sciences:

29 Identifying a Citation A citation is a short description of an information source. It contains all the information you need to be able to locate the source again. A citation can be for a journal article, web page, book (print and electronic) or chapter within a book. There are many different citation styles e.g. APA or MLA, but the individual elements of a citation will generally be the same.

30 Identifying a Citation Book: Bartholomew, L. K. (2011). Planning health promotion programs: An intervention mapping approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Note inclusion of publisher Government Document: Statistics Canada. (2012). Perceived health, Health Fact Sheets Catalogue no XIE. Retrieved November 02, 2013, from Note inclusion of URL

31 Identifying a Citation Journal Article: Rongen, A., Robroek, S. J. W., Van Lenthe, F. J., & Burdorf, A. (2013). Workplace health promotion. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(4), 406. Van Doorn, C. (1999). A Qualitative Approach to Studying Health Optimism, Realism, and Pessimism. Research on Aging, 21(3), doi: / Note inclusion of volume number and lack of publisher Note inclusion of doi to identify article as an electronic resource

32 Identifying a Citation Web Page: Health Department: Memorandums of Understanding. Available at: Accessed 10/30/2007, Note inclusion of URL and retrieval date

33 Quiz #1. Identify the Citation Kinnayet, L. J., Tatt, C.,L., & Simpson, C. (2009). The mental health of aboriginal peoples in Canada: Transformations of identity and community. In L. J. Kirmayer, & G. G. Valaskakis (Eds.), Healing traditions : The mental health of aboriginal peoples in Canada; (pp. 3-35). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. 1. Book 2. Book chapter 3. Article 4. Website

34 Quiz#2. Identifying a Citation Leddy, S. (2006). Health promotion: Mobilizing strengths to enhance health, wellness, and wellbeing. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. 1. Book 2. Book chapter 3. Article 4. Website

35 Quiz #3. Identifying a Citation Benyamini, Y., Leventhal, E. A., & Leventhal, H. (2000). Gender differences in processing information for making selfassessments of health. Psychosomatic Medicine, 62(3), Book 2. Book chapter 3. Article 4. Website

36 Scholarly vs. Popular Writing Scholarly Journals: have articles that are written by a scholar/expert in the field and will usually include their credentials. report on original research or experimentation. have articles that use the terminology and language of the covered subject. have articles that are footnoted and/or have a bibliography. are generally published by a professional organization or a scholarly press. Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals

37 Scholarly vs. Popular Writing Popular Works such as magazines and newspapers: are written for the general public. are written to inform or entertain, sell products or promote a point of view. avoid specialized terminology of the field. do not have bibliographies. may be written by authors who have no expertise on the topic.

38 Peer Review Peer review means that other scientific experts in the field check research papers for validity, significance and originality and for clarity. From: I don t know what to believe making sense of science stories. One way researchers try to ensure the legitimacy of their work is to have it peer reviewed prior to publication. A peer-reviewed or refereed journal is one in which manuscripts submitted by authors are reviewed by experts on the topic before being accepted for publication in the journal.

39 How do I find peer-reviewed or scholarly research? Look in Research Databases to find peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles. Some databases make it easy. Limit or refine to "Peer Reviewed" or Scholarly. Use Summon Refine Your Search. Limit to articles from scholarly publications, including peer-review. Google Scholar Enables you to search specifically for scholarly literature (including peer-reviewed papers). While not a substitute for the article indexes and databases available at Queen s University Library, Google Scholar can be a useful supplement.

40 How can you tell if an article is peer-reviewed? Read the selection or editorial policies of the journal. Example: Canadian Journal of Public Health Peer Review Process All original contributions are reviewed by the editor and sent to two or more external reviewers as part of a double-blind peer review process (authors and reviewers are anonymous). The editor reserves the right to make editorial changes in all matter published in the Journal and cannot enter into correspondence about papers not accepted for publication. Example: The Lancet Peer review Every Article, Case Report, Hypothesis, Seminar, and Review published in The Lancet has been peer reviewed. Occasional contributions (eg, Essays) are accepted without peer review.

41 Even reputable organizations can The Lancet case study: Wakefield s linkage between autism and the MMR vaccine. Even if something looks legitimate, you still need to do some investigating to be sure it is legitimate. Science is at once the most questioning and skeptical of activities and also the most trusting. Arnold Relman, cited in BMJ 2011;342:c7452 p.64 be fooled

42 Queen s Library Research Starting Points: Research by Subject Kinesiology and Health Studies A guide to key information resources for Kinesiology and Health Studies. Research Tools: QCAT (the library catalogue). Searches for books (print and electronic), DVDs, government documents, and journals. Summon (multi-disciplinary). Searches the library catalogue and many electronic resources including full-text articles. Google Scholar Government Information Canada, US, International Organizations. Statistics

43 Strategies for Effective Searching Start your search with main concepts or key words. Think of synonyms, alternate spellings to express the same concepts. Combine words by using the connectors: and, or, not AND narrows a search OR broadens a search Narrow a topic that is too broad by: Time period Geographic location Country, city, region Gender Population group Children, teens, adults, seniors Using quotation marks for phrases or proper names. For example, health promotion

44 Finding Articles Health Studies students often have research questions related to a range of different disciplines. For in-depth searching, use subject databases. The Kinesiology and Health Studies Subject Guide lists core and related recommended databases. Recommended Queen s databases for disciplines relevant to health studies include: Medicine: PubMed Global Health: Global Health, GEOBASE Psychology: PsycINFO Public Health: ProQuest Public Health, CINAHL Public Policy: Canadian Electronic Library- Health Collection, PAIS, PubMed Sociology: Sociological Abstracts Sports and Recreation: SportDiscus

45 Organize Your Research RefWorks is a web-based research management tool that allows you to: organize your research by creating folders for classes and assignments; format bibliographies automatically in any of the major bibliographic styles (e.g. APA, MLA, etc.); and import citations from database and library catalogue searches. Connect via the RefWorks link on the Queen's Library home page.

46 Citing Sources Citing sources is an important part of your research. It documents what sources you have used in writing your paper and gives credit to the author's work. It also gives you and your instructor information needed to identify and retrieve the cited sources. There are many different styles. For example: APA, MLA, Chicago. The Library has print and electronic copies of the various citation style guides. Please go to to access these resources.

47 Questions? Michele Chittenden Kinesiology & Health Studies Liaison Librarian, Stauffer Library